“Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Five candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 6 seat on Memphis-Shelby County’s school board this May, as state lawmakers continue to push for a district takeover that would usurp local authority . All are running to fill the seat held by former teachers union leader Keith Williams since 2022. Five candidates will compete in the district’s first political primary on May 5 . The winner of that race will go up against independent candidate Frederick Dewayne Tappan, a longtime pastor at Eureka Truevine Baptist Church, in the Aug. 6 general election. Early voting in the primary begins on April 15. Marinda A-Williams is a former private school and Germantown teacher who has experience in state-level politics. Juliette Eskridge taught in MSCS for 20 years, and Stacey Kelly works as a college advisor for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. T.L. Harris, who served prison time for a felony drug conviction , led a youth violence prevention program for three years and now advocates for cameras in MSCS classrooms. Contessa Humphrey, the final candidate, did not respond to Chalkbeat’s survey. District 6 covers 28 schools and around 12,000 students in Southwest Memphis, a region that MSCS leaders say will likely be targeted for school closures in the next few years due to chronic underenrollment and aging buildings. At most schools, Black students make up more than 95% of the student population, and almost 70% of students are considered economically disadvantaged. Students in District 6, which includes Whitehaven High School and Havenview Middle School, test slightly below MSCS’ districtwide averages on state reading and math tests . That ranges from a 60% proficiency rate for both subjects at John P. Freeman Optional to a 6% proficiency rate at Geeter K-8. Use our interactive map to see if you’ll be voting in this district based on your home address. And read full responses from District 6 candidates to a Chalkbeat survey here: Marinda A-Williams A-Williams is a former teacher assistant and educator in local private schools and the Germantown suburban school district. She represented Memphis on the Tennessee Democratic State Executive Committee when she was 23 years old, setting policies and goals to manage local parties. A-Williams ran for a position on the Memphis City Council in 2019, but did not win the seat. She believes there should be a third option between a state takeover of MSCS and complete local control. Her collaborative governance model mirrors a local accountability plan passed by current board members in March . “The state should allow potentially newly elected leadership the opportunity to demonstrate improvement and reconsider any takeover after elections so the community has a voice in the future of its schools,” A-Williams said. She also believes the district should expand its career and technical education programs to boost student attendance by establishing a connection between school and future jobs. Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy and public trust “Too many students are not reading at grade level, and families are concerned about transparency, contract oversight, and the responsible use of resources. I would prioritize evidence-based literacy instruction starting in early grades, expand tutoring and targeted support, and align curriculum investments with proven learning science. At the governance level, the board must enforce strong financial transparency and contract oversight.” Juliette Eskridge Eskridge taught in MSCS for around 20 years, serving as a teacher and project manager for multiple schools including Hamilton Elementary and Mitchell High. She now works at Project STAND, a school-based mentoring program for at-risk students established in 2017 that operates in MSCS. “I’m such a team person,” Eskridge said. “My ambition would be (the board) as a team, and being cohesive and wanting to work through whatever our challenges are.” Eskridge says she wants the board to be proactive in seeking feedback from parents and the community before making decisions and be more transparent about issues early on. Most important MSCS issue to address: State takeover “The most important thing right now, and I think that’s being missed from the state level, are the students. That’s what this needs to be about: making sure our children are equipped. I haven’t really heard any deep concern or details about our students. And I’m concerned because the state has had opportunities to take over our schools before, and they sent them back to us. And they didn’t really improve anything.” T.L. Harris Harris has lived in the Whitehaven neighborhood for over 30 years. Federal court records show that in 2006, he pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge while working as a Memphis police officer . He’s since qualified to run for office after having his civil rights restored. For three years, Harris led five community centers for the Memphis Gun Down summer program in neighborhoods such as Frayser and Raleigh. He was in charge of providing the entertainment and security for those gathering places in an effort to reduce youth crime rates. “I know what it feels like to not have anything. I understand the mindset of those individuals,” Harris said. “You have to have a candidate that’s not afraid to walk in some of the roughest parts of Memphis and go there with intention to say, ‘Let’s pull these children out. Let’s give them an opportunity.’” Harris previously told Chalkbeat that he works as the chief financial officer of Wallhaven Family Healthcare. But that business does not have an online presence, and Chalkbeat has been unable to locate any related records . Harris wants to pilot putting cameras in MSCS classrooms to increase school security and identify “blind spots” in teaching practices. “Why wouldn’t you have a camera in the classroom if you want to know what’s really going on?” he said. “Because fights do happen in classrooms. We all know this. People get hurt in classrooms; people steal stuff.” Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy “Too many children are leaving third grade without strong reading skills, and when students cannot read well, every subject becomes harder. To address this, I support strengthening early literacy instruction, expanding tutoring and intervention programs, and providing teachers with the resources and training they need to help struggling readers.” Contessa Humphrey Humphrey did not return Chalkbeat’s candidate survey in time for publication. Stacey Kelly Kelly has nearly 14 years of experience working in the corporate sector for First Tennessee Bank and another 14 years working as a third-party partner in MSCS schools. She served as project manager for RISE Memphis, facilitating financial education classes for middle and high school students across five local schools. Then she became a college advisor at Overton High School, her alma mater, to help students with FAFSAs and applications through the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, work she still does. “Working within the school system for 14 years, I’ve been able to see the gaps,” Kelly told Chalkbeat. “I’ve been able to see things that students may need, that the faculty and staff due to budgeting are not having.” Kelly said she’s also seen the need for more transparency between school system leadership and staff, plus the community at large. Most important MSCS issue to address: Academic achievement “Too many of our students are not reading on grade level or performing at proficiency in math, which directly impacts graduation rates, college readiness, workforce development, and long-term economic stability in Memphis.” Note: This story has been updated to include information about T.L. Harris’ 2006 federal drug conviction and inconsistent employment information. Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
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